I went to the range yesterday to try my new Swiss powder. I got 3lbs of 2F and 2lbs of 3F. I’ve been shooting Goex 3F all along and thought I’d try the Swiss to see if it was indeed a “better” powder. My normal load has been 75 gr of Goex 3F under a 490 rb with a .015 patch with Lehigh lube. My rifle is a late Lancaster .50 cal with a 42” Colerain barrel, flint and I prime with Goex 4F. With this combination, and my tired old eyes, I usually shoot one hole groups at 50 and about 2 to 3 inch groups at 100yds off a bench.
Started with the 2F and began with 60 gr and worked my way up to 80 gr in 5 grain increases. I used .015 patches, .018 ticking, Lehigh lube, beeswax/olive oil lube, 490 rb’s and .495 rb’s. I shot 5 shots with each combination at 100 yds from a bench rest. Calm morning, high humidity and no wind. After I tried the 2F, I switched to the 3F and ran thru the same combinations. Here are some of my observations:
I shot a test group first thing with my old load and the rifle was on. Wiped the barrel with a ballistol dampened patch ( first time I ever used ballistol as well) and loaded. The first group with 60 gr Swiss was pleasant to shoot. Recoil was very mild, more like a gentle shove than a kick. (I noticed this with all 2F loads compared to the same loads with 3F.) Went downrange to check the target and it was about a 5 to 6 inch group, 6 inches left and 4 inches high. Worked my way thru all the combinations and got increasingly worse groups up to the 80 gr loads, of which some were off the paper. Switched to 3F.
Got about the same results till I got to 70 and 75 grains. At that point my groups started to close up to the normal groups I usually shoot with Goex. Windage and elevation remained left and high. At 80 gr., they were all over the place. Moved over to the 50 yd range to better see the target and sights. With the 3F and 70 to 75 gr, it shot one hole groups in a sort of vertical string. That was with a 490 ball. I had already determined it hates 495 balls with any patch, lube,or powder combination. That’s where I left it.
As stated, I usually shoot Goex and use Lehigh lube. I never have to wipe between shots and with Lehigh, clean up is easy. After the first 5 shots of Swiss, I noticed a “crud ring” for lack of a better tem, about 3 inches ahead of the breach as I would load another round. I could hear and feel the crunch as I pushed the patched ball down to seat it. At one point the crud was about mid barrel and I really had to work to get the ball down. I wiped with a ballistol patch afer that one till I could feel no rough places. Still, all day after each 5th shot or so, I could feel a crud ring with both the 2F and 3F. Also, with Goex, my patches come out just fine. Some are even reusable. With the Swiss, every single patch whether I used the .015 or the .018, whether it was 60 gr or 80 gr was burned thru. The .015’s were just a smoking mass of black threads and the .018 ticking mostly were black with holes the size of the ball burned out of them. Can’t figure that out.
All in all it was an interesting day of shooting. Oh,.clean up with Swiss was a breeze as most folks say.
Moderators..if this is the wrong forum, please feel free to move it to the one you think is correct....
Started with the 2F and began with 60 gr and worked my way up to 80 gr in 5 grain increases. I used .015 patches, .018 ticking, Lehigh lube, beeswax/olive oil lube, 490 rb’s and .495 rb’s. I shot 5 shots with each combination at 100 yds from a bench rest. Calm morning, high humidity and no wind. After I tried the 2F, I switched to the 3F and ran thru the same combinations. Here are some of my observations:
I shot a test group first thing with my old load and the rifle was on. Wiped the barrel with a ballistol dampened patch ( first time I ever used ballistol as well) and loaded. The first group with 60 gr Swiss was pleasant to shoot. Recoil was very mild, more like a gentle shove than a kick. (I noticed this with all 2F loads compared to the same loads with 3F.) Went downrange to check the target and it was about a 5 to 6 inch group, 6 inches left and 4 inches high. Worked my way thru all the combinations and got increasingly worse groups up to the 80 gr loads, of which some were off the paper. Switched to 3F.
Got about the same results till I got to 70 and 75 grains. At that point my groups started to close up to the normal groups I usually shoot with Goex. Windage and elevation remained left and high. At 80 gr., they were all over the place. Moved over to the 50 yd range to better see the target and sights. With the 3F and 70 to 75 gr, it shot one hole groups in a sort of vertical string. That was with a 490 ball. I had already determined it hates 495 balls with any patch, lube,or powder combination. That’s where I left it.
As stated, I usually shoot Goex and use Lehigh lube. I never have to wipe between shots and with Lehigh, clean up is easy. After the first 5 shots of Swiss, I noticed a “crud ring” for lack of a better tem, about 3 inches ahead of the breach as I would load another round. I could hear and feel the crunch as I pushed the patched ball down to seat it. At one point the crud was about mid barrel and I really had to work to get the ball down. I wiped with a ballistol patch afer that one till I could feel no rough places. Still, all day after each 5th shot or so, I could feel a crud ring with both the 2F and 3F. Also, with Goex, my patches come out just fine. Some are even reusable. With the Swiss, every single patch whether I used the .015 or the .018, whether it was 60 gr or 80 gr was burned thru. The .015’s were just a smoking mass of black threads and the .018 ticking mostly were black with holes the size of the ball burned out of them. Can’t figure that out.
All in all it was an interesting day of shooting. Oh,.clean up with Swiss was a breeze as most folks say.
Moderators..if this is the wrong forum, please feel free to move it to the one you think is correct....
